More than 400 cargo ships have been stranded in a 10-day traffic jam in a section of the Beijiang River near Lunzhou Village, Qingyuan City in Guangdong Province, the Yangcheng Evening News reported Tuesday.

Cargo ships from northern areas such as Shaoguan, Qingyuan, Yingde and Lianzhou carrying cement and coal were stranded in a section no more than two kilometers long.

According to workers dredging the river to clear the way, apart from the early arrival of the dry season this year, big ships which ran aground trying to pass were also behind the jam.

Workers said options to clear the jam included releasing water from reservoirs on the upper reaches and pumping sand out. The options were still being discussed.

Lunzhou villagers are opposed to sand pumping. The village, located on a 2.5-square-kilometer island in the river, has 1,600 residents. There have been frequent collapses of the riverbank in recent years caused by sand pumping to clear waterways. Some houses are now only 15 meters from the riverbank where the distance used to be some 200 meters. Villagers have had to remove houses to the middle of the island for safety.

The Beijiang River accommodates ships of 100 to 300 tons.

(Shenzhen Daily July 30, 2003)